Advancements in digital telephony techniques have permitted the development, implementation, and widespread usage of multi-user communication systems. Use of a digital communication system in which digital techniques are utilized is advantageous, inter alia, as the communication capacity of a digital communication system is typically greater than the capacity of a corresponding analog system. Error correction of signals transmitted during operation of such a system can also be improved.
A cellular communication system is exemplary of a communication system which has been made possible as a result of such advancements. A cellular communication system permits communications to be effectuated with a mobile station by way of a radio channel, thereby obviating the need for a wireline connection to form a communication channel between a sending and a receiving station. Through use of a cellular communication system, effectuation of communications is possible at locations at which the use of fixed or hard-wired connections would be inconvenient or impractical, such as in a motor vehicle. Cellular communication systems have been implemented using various communication schemes. A CDMA (Code-Division, Multiple-Access) cellular communication system is an exemplary communication system, implemented utilizing code-division techniques.
Some cellular communication systems provide for the transmission of packet data to and from a mobile station. Information which is to be transmitted is formatted into discrete packets of data, and, once formatted, the packets are transmitted upon a communication channel. In a CDMA communication scheme, for instance, a packet channel is assigned by allocating a code, by which the packets of data are encoded. Once encoded, the packets are transmitted by a transmitting station. And, once received at a receiving station, the packets of data are decoded.
While a circuit-switched channel can be formed upon which to effectuate communication of the packet data between the mobile station and the network infrastructure, such allocation would obviate a significant advantage of packet data communications. That is to say, when information to be communicated is formatted into packets of data, a shared channel can be utilized. Information to be communicated pursuant to more than one data service, or pursuant to more than one sending and receiving station pair, can share a single communication channel. Because of the shared nature of communication transmission upon a shared channel, rather than a circuit-switched channel, the communication capacity of communications in a radio communication system can be increased. Conventionally, packet data applications have been carried out on dedicated radio channels, such as to effectuate SMS (short message service) communications in, for example, a GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) communication system or in an active state pursuant to which a mobile state is operable in a CDMA2000 system.
Also, when such a channel is allocated and deployed, significant amounts of build-up and tear-down overhead is required for its effectuation. Therefore, in addition to the communication capacity limitations associated with the allocation of a circuit-switched channel to communicate the packet data, the increased overhead associated with the deployment of the circuit-switched channel is also disadvantageous.
Increased processing capabilities have permitted the implementation of new types of data services to be effectuated, such as multi-media services in which more than one communication-type, e.g., both voice and non-voice information, is communicated. Communication of the more than one data service also presents unique problems requiring resolution when the data services are to be effectuated by way of a radio link.
A manner by which to more efficiently communicate packet data to effectuate one or more data services in a radio communication system would therefore be advantageous.
It is in light of this background information related to communications in a radio communication system that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.